Travel - Excess Baggage

Hurrah! The government has relaxed the restrictions on excess carry-on baggage, something this column obviously feels very strongly about. Following their lead, 22 airports, including Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Glasgow and Heathrow, have relaxed the one-bag rule, and will now allow passengers to take two bags on board. However, before you go shoving a fortnight’s worth of Hawaiian shirts into a couple of rucksacks and flipping that nice lady at baggage check-in the bird, you ought to check with your specific airline prior to flying. While some carriers are embracing the new policy, many airlines will refuse to let you board with more than one bag. Some people just can’t get with the times, eh?

Meanwhile, neatly combining the joys of a Burns Supper with a weekend break and some brain-bending action, Cringletie House near Peebles has announced that they’ll be running a Burns Night Murder Mystery Weekend this year. So, alongside the traditional pipers, drams, toasts tae the ladies an’ lassies, neeps, tatties and Address to the Haggis, look out for five scymitars, wi’ murder crusted. We’re not quite sure how else one would orchestrate a specifically Burns-themed murder, but finding out sounds like quite a bit of murky fun. The guests will be invited to roam the country house looking for clues to aid the police in their investigations after dinner, and the whole package, including dinner, luxury bed and breakfast, starts at £175. Call 01721 725 750 or visit www.cringletie.com for more info.